The Triangle Building
by She Who Wears Trunks
Summary: AU: Cloud has left Nibelheim to live in an apartment building in Midgar, where hopefully things won't be so bleak. He honestly has no idea what to do with his life once he's there, but just as he starts to suspect his loneliness is inevitable, he makes a few new friends with the help of Aerith. The most relatable of them all though, happens to be a certain Vincent Valentine.
1. Chapter 1

Cloud sometimes thought that leaving his hometown was a mistake, and he found himself regretting his decision to leave out all the goodbyes. However, in that cold, backwater mountain town, people were faker than if they were made of plastic. None of them would've appreciated any sentimentality on his part because they all would probably like to pretend he was never there. That is, all of them besides Tifa.

She was probably the only reason he had to stay back, and he wondered what it would've been like if he had taken her with him, but he knew that a girl like her, who was so strong willed, would be better off finding her own way. Strife was no leader. He knew it'd be hard just on his own, so having her with him could've ended up being a big mistake. If Cloud fucks up, there's no reason he has to drag anyone else down with him. But that's no way to think is it? He was never really that optimistic. Never had a reason to believe that he could make things work out for everyone. He was doing this for himself.

Strife left the village to 'do his own thing,' so if Tifa came along, he'd have to be a little less selfish, and in his opinion, being selfish was by far a better decision than eventually butting heads with her.

That being said, the freshly turned 19 year old Cloud Strife felt nothing but anticipation on leaving everything behind. Those people… They never could've accepted him with the way he looked. That's how it happened. They may be confused about his discordant personality now, but he hoped someday they'd realize the only reason he was like that was because of how roughly they pushed him away. His naturally standing hair, and beryl eyes; almost exactly like his mother, except her eyes were always dim, always facing out the window. Strife imagined she would've wanted to leave the town behind too before she died.

The only reason she stayed was because she had him, and without the funds to tote him around, without the courage or cruelty to leave him behind, without the support to thrust him into someone's care, she was stuck in dirty old Nibelheim. That wasn't really his fault though, and he tried not to blame himself for being a burden on her, but it really wasn't like he asked her to care. He loved her but if she wanted to leave, what really would've changed? The townspeople would have shoved him away, and he'd have to get by mostly on his own, with the help of Tifa here and there, just like when she died.

Cloud tried not to think of these things but they always seemed to creep up on him. He focused on his journey into the rainy city, Midgar. When he was younger, he'd always imagined escaping to a warm, bright place that smelled less like rainwater and more like sea water, but of course things are never so perfect. Maybe someday, far, far after today, he'd manage to get his life to that place he'd always wanted to be in. Maybe he won't have to do it alone.

That almost made him laugh, but he remembered he was on the subway and decided he didn't need any more strange looks than he was given. Cloud was a smart guy, who tried not to let the angst suffocate him, and he tried to take control of his problems so that they didn't become his personality.

Not being alone, though; what a riot that was. Cloud felt like maybe being alone wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so pessimistic. After all, when you're Cloud Strife, you have to find ways to be okay with it, or else he'd be swallowed by his troubles. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window of the rickety subway car, trying not to think. All that did however, was remind him of all the public transportation he'd have to use to get to the apartment building in Midgar that was already his.

-)(-)(-)(-

It was about 6 o'clock when Cloud arrived at the last station and, the sun was nearly set when he walked to the apartment buildings, and realized that traveling by public transportation sucks ass. He should've just come on foot. It'd take long but at least he'd enjoy it more.

With most of the money he'd saved up doing odd jobs in Nibelheim, he rented out a small empty apartment and sent some things ahead of him, like a small chair to sleep in, a small table, clock, lamp, clothes, and a few dishes. He needed to get a job soon.

There were three buildings. They were labeled with shapes, oddly enough. Don't these places usually have names, or are labeled in letters or numbers? One building had an upside down triangle, another had a moon shape, and another had a diamond.

His place was in the triangle building, apartment 66, and it wasn't that bad. The carpet had seen better days, and perhaps it was time to replace the wallpaper, clean out the fridge and bathroom, maybe even add a few more windows, but it was the best he could get and he wasn't complaining. There were some boxes of his in the mail room he had to get, so he spent a bit of time running back and forth, and in that space of time he bumped into the landlord, who apparently was just skulking around the building in hopes of bumping into him.

"...Never seen you… You're the Strife kid, eh!?"

"Hn."

"S'great! Findin' everything okay?"

"Hn."

Cloud hated to be so short with the landlord right off the bat but if he was being completely honest with himself he would've had to admit that he wasn't really interested in what he had to say. It's not like he had a box with a bunch of dishes in his arms or anything, and it certainly wasn't like he'd been traveling all damn day either. There was no excuse.

"Got anymore boxes?"

"Yeah, just one," He said off handedly, trying to scoot around the shorter man.

"Well, you should've found me sooner! Could'a helped you sooner!"

The landlord started speed walking past him towards the mailroom to get the last box, which wasn't really a box, it was the chair. Cloud never asked for the landlord's help because he was nowhere to be found, and he wasn't really too dependent. He watched the landlord turn the corner before turning back and carrying the box of dishes through the cracked door of his apartment, which he hadn't gotten the keys for yet. When he left the nearly empty space into the hall, he saw the landlord quickly hefting the chair back around the corner, which was insane because the mailroom was downstairs on the first floor.

Strange guy.

-)(-)(-)(-

It had been almost week since Cloud started living in the triangle building, and so far, nothing bad had happened. The landlord was a nice guy named Duncan who tried his best to work with him despite his reserved personality. The rent was slowly creeping up on Strife, who hadn't quite found a job yet, but Duncan said he'd let it slide for a bit if he was late since he was so young, and obviously had a 'hard time of it.'

Strife had applied for a job in a local bookstore, which paid just enough to get by, though if he was careful about his money he could save up for a bed, phone, dresser. He was running out of food money, too, but sometimes Duncan came by to give him small things, like cups of noodles. He wasn't looking for the luxurious life, so he just took what was offered. Offered, of course, meaning that the landlord was trying his best to help Cloud out by pushing him in the way of work. Could be that he wanted to be paid rent, but it was rather nice of the guy to even suggest it.

So cloud was getting ready, having left most of his clothes in their boxes, to check out the store; wasn't far from his apartment, so walking there everyday wouldn't be so bad when it got colder. Cloud also wanted to save up for a motorcycle too, but he knew better than to make that one of his main purchases.

Sleeveless turtleneck? Yes, for sure. Black jeans? Obviously. Leather boots? What else? Dark casual jacket? Yep. Being completely ready to leave his his house, Cloud opened the door with unnecessary speed, excited, nearly knocking some guy in the hall down when he actually walked through it. Oh shit, wait, that's not so good. Pay attention.

Cloud tried to prevent the guy from falling, awkwardly putting out his arms as the man regained his balance before he even moved. At least he didn't have to touch him. He was super tall. The guy was like 6'3"; most of his height was in his legs, and half of his face was curtained by thick black hair and a red, ragged-looking bandana that had probably been mended many times since its purchase. He had a laundry basket propped on his hip, and his eyes were red. Weird.

Not like Cloud could really comment or complain about how people looked, but still. He was told as a child that he'd be pretty cute if he wore contacts, dyed his hair, styled it, and wore different clothes. Basically, he had to change everything to be 'cute,' which wasn't necessarily the look he was going for anyways.

He wasn't really upset when he heard that, but he understood what it meant right away. Cloud wasn't sure why that stuck with him, or why he remembered it so prominently either; things like that just seem to useless to keep in mind.

But more important than that, was the guy in the hall who just sorta stared at him until he stopped being an idiot and apologized.

"Oh, sorry," he said as if it just occurred to him that that would be an appropriate response. He didn't feel bad when it seemed like the guy had nothing to say back. Eventually he replies.

"It's okay."

Strife briefly considered the fact that the guy might've been like him just then, where knowing what might be the right thing to say was next to impossible. He decided that he needed to go because he really did, so he moved to the right to keep going on, and he could hear behind him that guy walking on as well. He never intended to make friends with his neighbors, so he just didn't care about what kind of impression he might've left on the guy. Plus, it was pretty early in the morning. Who had the time to just sit around and ponder these things? Like he was gonna lean on the wall and evaluate what just happened or something.

Making it outside, Cloud felt chilly. It stilled smelled like rain too. Well, rain and a little air pollution too, but that wasn't really something nice about the place that he was excited to tell his parents about on the phone. Not that he could. He didn't have any of the things necessary. You need parents and a phone, in case it was hard to tell.

The walk was about ten minutes. The bookstore looked pretty rundown from the outside. It had chipped orange brick walls and a big cracked glass window, with the handle of its green door loose enough to easily have been pulled out. Some of the lights on the inside flickered, and some corners of the edifice were just completely dark, but it was a cozy place overall, despite its frayed edges.

A pretty girl with long brown hair saw him walk in and immediately stopped whatever she was doing by a vase of flowers to greet him cheerfully. She asked if he was Cloud and he considered saying 'no' before mentally slapping himself. Why…?

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Aerith Gainsborough, and I'm glad to have you," she said with finality in her voice. Did he just get the job? Wasn't this supposed to be an interview?

"Wait, are you hiring me?"

She looked surprised that he asked. "Of course! It's been so long, I thought nobody was going to apply, and with someone like you around, it won't be such a pain carrying all these books!"

Oh, okay.

"Now that you're here, let's get this show on the road. This place really deserves a good cleaning! These flowers aren't enough to brighten it up, don't you agree?"

Cloud nods because there was no good reason to say otherwise.

"Alrighty!"

Over the next few hours, Strife found himself scrubbing hot soapy water into the hardwood floors with a stiff bristled broom, wiping the windows and glass tables, getting the cobwebs off of the ceiling, and wiping off anything Aerith couldn't reach. Then after that she showed him the ins and outs of the library, and helped him put all of the returned books away so that he'd get to see where everything went. She only had to help customers three times while helping him out too, while most people who came in just stole the wifi.

She even made sure Cloud knew how to take care of the flowers for her in case she couldn't make it to work one day, though she promised to try and stay with him. Then they were pretty much done with their business, so they both sat behind the reception desk and waited. At some point Aerith's boyfriend walked in and she seemed so happy that whatever chance Cloud thought he might've had committed suicide. He wasn't really in the market but still.

Zack, that was his name, was still on work, so she was a little mad with him, but it was still really clear that seeing him probably made her day. Then after that she sort of filled in some blanks about him for Cloud, who wasn't even going to ask her.

Apparently he was the sweetest guy ever and always took the time to make others smile, though Cloud suspected her of a little bias. He worked for the Shinra and made a decent wage, enough for the two of them, but Aerith insisted on keeping her job in the library because she didn't want to depend on Zack. She said something about how his kindness would cripple him someday, and Cloud wondered how it must be to constantly make others this happy.

It wasn't a bad day. They said their goodbyes when it was time at 5:45, and then Cloud made it back home without incident. He was just feeling lazy. He wasn't tired, but he didn't feel like doing anything either, though he was hungry. His lunch break was decently scheduled, but it didn't really mean anything since all he had was a few bites of Aerith's food. He didn't want to share but evidently, her and Zack are very much alike in the crippling kindness department. What was even in the fridge? Leftover pizza?

He didn't really want to eat it, but he had no choice. He had to get something that would last a while, but this was the last of it, and he didn't really know what he'd have tomorrow but he knew it'd have to be cheap. He managed to muscle through and eat the rest of the pizza, but was torn between taking a nap (because of the stifling amount of disappointment,) or going outside for some air, knowing that it wouldn't be as fresh as he was used to.

In the end he felt like the cold air, not matter how dirty, would do him more good than just taking a nap, so he left his nearly empty apartment to go sit on the small, rickety veranda that everyone on that floor had to share. Each floor had one. He didn't pay much attention to the things around him when he got there, he just sat on the railing and thought about his situation.

When he left Nibelheim, he really tried hard to solidify himself so that he wouldn't get his hopes up too high. He never expected Midgar to be a dream city, or an immediate fix to his problems, but still he can't help but feel like things should be better. He wondered what Tifa was doing, and if she missed him, and the after that he felt himself sink further into the railing with guilt. He should've said something to her. Maybe he'll go back to Nibelheim someday to say something to her, assuming she's even still there. By the time Cloud got his shit together she'd probably be gone anyways.

Strife supposed he always knew that the girl never regarded him in the same way as he did her. She probably wasn't thinking of him now, and if she was, then she probably thought that his presence didn't matter either way. Cloud just needed someone to want him around for now. If he could just evade his insides for a while longer, maybe he could find someone, or at least convince himself that he could live the rest of his life in this way. However, letting people close to you is hard when you're as guarded as Strife. Going in circles about a problem never solved anything though, and Cloud knew it too well, so he just ignored it again.

He thought about what it'd be like with her here with him. He'd probably have a bed by now; she was always good with that sort of thing. She was a working woman, after all, and he didn't doubt that she could find a job upon moving her things into the apartment. If she didn't miss him, then he definitely missed her, but it wasn't such a terrible feeling. He felt no need to lament over it. He had no doubt that they'd eventually meet again, whether she was excited to see him again or whatever.

Cloud was sitting on the railing dangling his feet for like five minutes before he noticed that there was another person on the porch with him. It was the guy he bumped into earlier, with the red eyes. He looked stranger now then when they first encountered, because he could just wear a jacket like most people, but instead he was wearing a thick hooded shawl type thing that looked like it could be like a cape, but he supposed it was better than if he was just in a robe or something like these shady apartment people like to wear. There was this one smoker lady with smeared lipstick who lived down the hall who apparently refused to be seen outside in anything but a fuzzy pink robe, which had scattered upon it many burn holes. Whatever her story was, the cover made it out to be a tragically depressing read.

The cowl, very high collared, covered most of the guys face, so from the angle Cloud was at, he could only see the tip of his nose, which appeared very bright next to the dark reds and black. His arms were folded, making his upper half appear larger than it was, but it lifted the cowl up a little so that Cloud could get a peek at what he was wearing under, since he hadn't really seen when they'd met. Looked like just a black button up with the sleeves rolled up, regular black (maybe but hopefully not leather,) jeans, and strange leather boots with gold plating with a left hand glove to match. He looked like a video game character or something.

Not wanting to get caught staring, Strife looked away, but he noticed as he turned his head away that it was already too late, and he got caught. He awkwardly swiped at his nose and hoped that the guy didn't mind, because if he did happen to dislike it, Cloud knew exactly why and couldn't say that if he were in his shoes he'd take it so well. He was curious about what that guy thought of how Cloud looked, considering he probably gets a lot of the same looks he does.

Strife tried to pretend like he didn't just get caught being an asshole and blankly stared forwards, though the urge to look back again was growing with how firmly the stranger was looking at him. Cloud guessed that the guy was thinking a lot of the same things he was, like how he looked weird, but how he also had no grounds to comment on the because of his own appearance.

Despite it all, Strife thought that the guy who might be alike him in a lot of ways probably had someone to go home to.

-)(-)(-)(-

More time passes without fanfare, and Cloud had already received his first paycheck a few days before rent was due, which was very nice of Aerith since payday wasn't for another couple of days. Needless to say, he was quite pleased to eat something sustaining.

He and Aerith were in the library together, and Zack had just left after making a short stop to say 'hello' for the millionth time that week. Aerith unsurprisingly scolded him about trying harder not to get fired, and still, that wasn't really noteworthy. Strife tried to focus on the book he was reading, rather than the display of affection they put on.

Sometimes the amber haired woman would apologize, but he never thought her happiness should be something she should have to say sorry for, and he told her that. The only problem he had was his own loneliness, which probably grew with jealousy every time he saw the pair together, but he still felt like he couldn't blame them for that. Who was he waiting for?

Well, right then, the stranger with the red eyes walked in, an enthusiastic young woman behind him. The bell on the door rang, attracting Aerith's attention, though Cloud kept his gaze averted, assuming it was nobody he wanted to see.

"Oh, Vincent! Yuffie! It's good to see you here!"

"Hi, Aerith!"

The man, hopefully and probably not the one whose name was 'Yuffie,' only nodded back to her, though he was not unkind. His eyes were smiling but that was really all you could see of him. Cloud looked up after they both were standing directly in front of the counter they sat behind, because he really couldn't help but be interested in the friendly pair.

The first thing Cloud noticed was their clothes. Yuffie, who appeared to be about 16, had on short shorts, and a green sweater, with cozy looking thigh highs and brown leather boots. Vincent on the other hand, had on another strange, red cape thing with more than a few buckles, gold plated boots and left hand glove, thick bandana, and black everything else. Well he looked warm, no less interesting than the last time Cloud had seen him. Actually knowing his name this time has made it more interesting though.

"Aerith," Vincent muttered in greeting. His red eyes shifted to Cloud's direction and his nodded his head to him as a kind of 'I don't know your name but I won't ask for it either' way, to which the blonde man nodded patiently back.

"I need another book or two on demonology." It was the second time Cloud had heard his voice, other than that time in the hallway of the triangle building, but he was still surprised at its deepness.

"Now now, Vinny," chastised the small Wutain girl, "It's been, like, forever since we saw Aerith last. Can't you get your mind off business for one second?"

"She's right, you know. I've missed you both while you were gone, so let's catch up!" Aerith excitedly walks around the counter to give the pair proper hugs, and as Cloud looks back down to his book, she stops him. "You too, Cloud. I want to introduce you to these two. They're friends of mine, and soon enough they'll be yours too. They usually come in here pretty often, so there will be plenty of chances to get to know each other."

Strife just shuts his book and walks around the counter so he can face the pair evenly, and he sees Yuffie's eyes light up like a child's would. He couldn't fathom why, though.

"This is Vincent Valentine, and this is Yuffie Kisaragi," She announces cheerfully. "Yuffie, Vincent, this is Cloud Strife."

Vincent reached his hand out to shake it with Cloud's, but he was distracted by that way Yuffie was eyeing him. That man, for all his strangeness, was very graceful however, and had a firm grip. He handled himself better than he would think a man of his height should. Seriously, most people who are 6'3" don't had the fluidity he displayed.

Next was Yuffie, whose hand shot out quickly with a big smile on her face, and her grip was gentle. She was acting very much like Aerith got a new puppy. Cloud noticed the stark contrast between the two's heights, and thought it must be a little awkward for them to execute normal affairs, like kissing or holding. Just couple things. That track of thought led to two things: Cloud wondering about their age difference, and then him wondering why he cared.

"He's cute, Aerith," she said as she turned to face said woman again, hand still in Cloud's. "Where'd you find this one? I bet Zack has been wary of competition like this, eh?"

It made the runaway feel icky to be talked about like that because she was so young. To Cloud, she was like a kid basically, and he was sure he could handle her brightness but there were many things about her that instantly told him there was no reason to think she could be an option.

"Yuffie…" said Vincent and Aerith in unison. It appeared that these kinds of things fell out of her mouth on the regular.

That's when Aerith suddenly remembered something about her relationship with Zack that she wanted to tell Yuffie, and she said so with much force. She then dragged the younger girl off deeper into the library with excitement, leaving Vincent and Cloud to stare after them without purpose. Honestly, the runaway couldn't imagine what could be so interesting, because as far as he could tell, the two were perfect and made everything work, and they knew to talk about their problems.

Of course, that's the most efficient way to operate in a relationship, but it's more interesting to talk about your problems, because people get sick of hearing happy things all the time. Or at least that's what Cloud gathered from his lifetime in Nibelheim.

The girls turn a corner and eventually Cloud turned back around to address Vincent awkwardly, who had already taken to staring at him. Well, being used to that, the looks, Cloud crossed his arms and stared back. He wanted to talk to him.

"How do you know Aerith?" He was surprised a question like that had popped up, seeing as how making conversation with strange new people was never one of his strong suits.

"I visit this library often."

What a neat, bland, uninformative answer. Cloud decided to quit while he was ahead. This guy is just not the chit chatting kind of guy he'd sort of been hoping he was. Maybe it was the prospect of finding someone like himself, but Cloud was interested in getting to know Vincent, and the feeling of interest was so new and fresh that he wondered if he should let it go. However tempting though, he had a job to do. As such, he felt like helping Vincent find his book since Aerith forgot what she was doing. Sounded like a good idea.

"Okay… Well, let me help you find the book you're looking for."

"Thank you."

Well, at least he was polite. Cloud turned on his heel and led Vincent back into a rather untouched section of the library, asking him a few questions about what kind of book on demonology he'd actually wanted, and getting answers with varying degrees of vagueness. He could hear hushed voices toward the center of the library where Aerith and Yuffie were talking, about what exactly he couldn't tell.

"Must be nice to have someone to mouth off to like that," he muttered in thought, actually genuine in his own longing, but coming off harsher than intended. It was as if Cloud lost himself for a second and couldn't think better of himself, because it was out of his mouth before he remembered there was someone standing right fucking next to him who could hear the words that fell out of his careless face.

His initial thought was, "Oh no, that was kind of fucked up, the way I said that," but then he started thinking, "Oh no, those are his friends, and I'm being a jerk for a bad reason! He's gonna think I'm an asshole or something!" Vincent however, didn't react the way Cloud had feared. He chuckled a bit, and seemed to understand where the blonde runaway was coming from well enough. Maybe Cloud was right, and they were more alike than you could tell from the outside.

"Yes," he admitted with the same smiling eyes he'd used before, "It's hard to find that here in Midgar."

That's when Cloud decided that he had to try and talk to this guy for longer, at which point he just pretended to shuffle through the books on the shelves and tried to keep the conversation going.

"I'm sure it's hard to find wherever you go, really. How long have you been in Midgar?"

"I've been here for two and a half years now."

"And how did you and Yuffie get together?" At this point Cloud wasn't shyly facing the bookshelf in an 'I'm working right now,' kind of way, his head was completely facing Vincent. Said man in red leaned against the shelf with his arms crossed comfortably.

"Don't get the wrong idea. We're partners, but not in that way."

"Oh," he responded awkwardly. He should've known better than to assume.

"Right before I came to this city, I was in Wutai visiting my old childhood home and she pick pocketed me. I wasn't too pleased when I caught her, but she gave me my things back and decided that she wanted to accompany me, and she's been around ever since. If you want to hear her reason for staying, though… I couldn't tell you."

Cloud looked at those red eyes as he told his story, and his uncertain finish only gave him more questions. "So you mean she's traveling with you, and you don't know why?'

"Well, there are certainly a few ideas that come to mind, but... After a while of her tagging along with me, tension started to rise and I was certain that she would run off, but then, probably a year ago, Yuffie and I came in here looking for information, and she and Aerith instantly connected. Eventually I started getting dragged in here more and more often until we all had some sort of bond or another. I have Aerith to thank for this friendship lasting, because we couldn't do it without her."

The blonde runaway took note of how thoughtfully Vincent spoke about that, having never been in a situation like that. It sounded like Aerith was motherly in many more situations than just making sure Cloud ate at least a bite or two for lunch.

"That sounds like a good enough reason to stay in a place like this. It can be hard without anyone on your side. Aerith is just that kind of person, too. She probably couldn't let you and Yuffie fall apart even if she wanted to."

"Yes, those words may hold more truth than I'd like to admit," he agreed. "But what about you, Cloud?" He liked the way Valentine said his name. "Why are you in Midgar? This place is not so appealing up close."

He had to laugh at the statement, because it was somewhat ironic how it seems everyone who lived here came to the same conclusion, but Cloud couldn't decide whether it was a touchy subject for him or not. On one hand, the reason for leaving was because he didn't want to be where he was unwanted, and he needed to find his own way which was slightly depressing and therefore not good conversation material, but on the other, he felt like it almost didn't matter now that he was relatively settled in. He was moving on at his own pace, he supposed, and he wasn't as bitter as he was at the start either, so things weren't so bad.

"I'm here…" his voice cut in softly after a few seconds, and he tried to find a way to word his sentence so that he didn't come off as a complainer, though there was no real reason to be terribly concerned with the impression he gave Vincent. "Because I needed to get away from where I was in more ways than one."

Vincent looked interested, though Cloud could only see his eyes and nose. "And if you don't mind me asking, where was this place?"

"...Nibelheim, my hometown. Have you been there?"

The dark haired man's eyes were smiling again, and Cloud was starting to notice things about him that he hadn't before, like how he probably cut his hair himself for how uneven it was, and how his eyes had the slightest wutain curve, the small signs of sleeplessness on his face, and the faint smell of something sweet.

"If only you knew. We are alike in that way as well, then," he said matter of factly, seeming to notice all their similarities like Cloud had. At least that meant that he wasn't blind to making connections, however, this sparked Strife's curiosity, and he felt like questioning the taller man on it would be a bit inconsiderate since he himself didn't want to say too much about his own time there.

"So you've noticed some similarities too, huh?"

"Yes, I have," he continued conversationally. Cloud didn't think Valentine was the chatty type simply because he didn't look like it, but evidently he could carry himself well, and wasn't the strange and unfriendly oddity he appeared. He just kept his answers short and curt, which was fine by Cloud; he'd never been able to keep a conversation going for so long with anyone but Tifa and sometimes Aerith, though it was usually the girls doing all the talking. They sometimes don't leave room for questions, making some of the things they said harder to grasp. But this was different, Cloud thought, because he was being heard on some level.

"I've had Yuffie in my ear about you since the day we bumped in the hallway, and she's made a lot of things we have in common apparent to me. She's been meaning to meet you for a while now, but Aerith and I try to convince her that it's better to have patience than to be obnoxious."

"Really?" Cloud had never seen Yuffie in his life, so he wondered how exactly she'd seen them bump into each other, or if Vincent had talked to her about him. "How did Yuffie know about that?" He could stop his slight embarrassment from sounding in his voice, but it wasn't like him to be so clumsy, so he felt justified.

"I'm a ninja! You never know when Ms. Kisaragi might be utilizing her unmatched stealth." She said these things from the top of one of the bookshelves the two were between, but Valentine didn't even flinch. Cloud got startled and jumped though. He made a note to keep on guard when she was around. "So is it me, or does Vinny seem kinda happy? What are you two doing back here, huh? Was I right about you all along, Vince?"

"Cloud was getting me the books we came here for, Yuffie."

"I don't believe it. If only I'd gotten here sooner-"

"Hey, what kind of person do you take me for?" Cloud was confused. It may be at Vincent's expense, but he ended up being the butt end of the joke, and he thought Yuffie liked him. What was she saying?

"Vinny's got a crush I think," she offered offhandedly, focusing more on hoisting herself up further onto the shelf so that she could dangle her feet. "So of course he'd want a chance to talk to you more… He never talks to me like this, or Aerith either, now that I think about it…" she stopped looking at Cloud and turned her head up to the high ceiling. "But it makes sense, because Cloud has eyes that glow like his."

"Yuffie, get down from there! What if you knock it down?" Aerith's responsible voice came from a place behind the shelves that Cloud couldn't see, and he ran a hand through his unruly blond hair to try and save a little face. This situation was so terribly cliche that he decided Yuffie's deductions held no water. Plus, wanting to be with someone because they're eyes glowed in the same fashion as your own didn't seem like a plausible reason anyways. Just stop caring, he told himself, Yuffie's just that kind of person, I guess.

"Aerith, you know with somebody like Cloud around we could all the books in the library off the floor in no time if we wanted to."

"Please don't test that!" Somebody walked in just then, ringing the bell on the door and Cloud could hear Aerith mutter to herself a little about her worries. That ninja girl must cause a lot of trouble when nobody's looking.

"She's quite the handful, Valentine."

"Yes, yes she is…"

* * *

**Well, alrighty. How'd you like this first chapter? It's probably the longest start to a story I've ever written. **

**Did you think I did a good job of capturing the personalities of the characters? And how about the interaction between Cloud and Vincent? This is my first FF7 fanfic, so if you're going to leave a review, be as honest as possible and don't hold back. **

**Thank you for reading~**


	2. Chapter 2

Vincent had gotten three books on demonology with Cloud's help, and Aerith was mildly busy keeping Yuffie out of trouble and helping customers. She must have done this many times before.

Cloud couldn't stop wondering about what Vincent and Yuffie might need with a couple of books on demonology. He was also curious about what their partnership really meant. It seemed like they worked together, but they also made it look like they were just travelers. For a second there, Cloud could see the two of them as minstrels carrying colorful lutes, but he realized that this was definitely not what they did. No minstrel ever need a lesson in demonology.

Now, they all sat in a few comfy chairs that were intended for reading on, conversing amongst one another about the things that had happened while the pair was away. Vincent, Cloud had noted, unbuckled the belts on the collar of his cowl when he was really comfortable. Now that he could see his whole face for the first time, he could really saw that he'd never really seen anyone that looked like Vincent. The only person who could compare, he thought, was Sephiroth, but he'd only ever seen the SOLDIER in posters and advertisements. Who knew if there had been any doctoring to those pictures? Honestly, he didn't think Sephiroth would need any doctoring done to his pictures; that man was pretty admirable to him.

But anyways, Cloud still didn't know why the pair had left Midgar, evidently coming back on the night that Cloud had bumped into Vincent, but he didn't feel like asking, or even that it was his place to. It must've had to do with their partnership, and if their intentional vagueness meant anything, it was that he wasn't meant to know much about it.

Strife convinced himself that it was better to be considerate than to be nosy, but in the same breath, he was burning to know the things about them that only a friend could know. The answer to why he might want that should be easy enough. Cloud was an adult; it happened to be perfectly natural to want to assert himself in that way with these new people in this new place. However, he knew that it could be hard and that taking chances with these shady bookstore folk could get him into trouble. Honestly, openly not wanting somebody to know what you do for a living is pretty much one of the easiest ways to give off a shady vibe.

But Cloud was willing to make these friends if it meant he wouldn't have to be alone all the time.

Aerith was a very happy woman when Zack was around, and she made that clear to Yuffie whenever she made a comment about Cloud. He supposed someone her age might have things like that constantly on the mind, but for some reason it wasn't as endearing as it was at the start. Vincent hardly spoke unless he was spoken to, but one time he denied having anything to do with a suspicious blouse found in his apartment, which he also noted that he _didn't_ share with Yuffie.

"If you _really_ minded me being in your apartment so much you would've kept your window locked," She claimed.

"If you _really_ could be stopped by a window lock I would keep locking it," he replied hopelessly.

Banter like this continued until Vincent wisely resigned each time it happened, and of course it was always amusng enough to at least elicit a chuckle or two from both Cloud and Aerith. Yuffie wouldn't let up about the blouse she'd found in Vinny's room, though. Vincent kept a cold face each time she'd mention it, but eventually Strife learned something about Yuffie that he had hoped was just his bad impression of her.

Yuffie was a bit too insensitive for her own good. She wasn't intending any harm, of course, but eventually Vincent had about as much of her teasing as he could take, and his eyes changed.

It was the first time Cloud had ever seen his face so angry so openly. Though his frown had grown deeper, the most striking feature was his eyes. He didn't even say anything. His genuinely angry look was enough to tell Yuffie to drop whatever she was getting at, and Cloud had to look at what kind of people they both were. Yuffie shrunk back easily at the sudden stare, and very soon after he shot her an apologetic look, as if he couldn't help himself. He then, Cloud regrets to see, buckles his collar back up in embarrassment while Aerith tries to mend the situation, and make it feel less awkward for Cloud.

He guessed that the pair had been good at communicating with just looks for a while now. Aerith was probably to blame for that level of closeness as well.

It was a very abrupt ending to their day, when they realized that it was time for them all to return home. Vincent and Yuffie claimed they had business elsewhere, and Cloud knew better than to try and distract Aerith from Zack, so he returned back to the Triangle Building without fanfare.

He was happy to have met them, oddly anxious to see them again, but on the inside he was putting on a show about how being alone might not be so bad. It was like all the wanting he'd done before meeting them was being concealed, and Cloud didn't even have a good reason for it. He was just turning out to be that kind of person. The kind of person who was so used to being alone that they become scared and unsure of what to do as soon as it changes.

Once inside the building, he remembered that he lived in a nearly empty hallway with Vincent, a smoker, and a guy named… Actually, Cloud hadn't bothered to learn his name. The only neighbor he could really say he was concerned with was Valentine. He was interesting, and seemed to understand Cloud well.

Whenever he'd thought he made a bad impression, Vincent would just automatically show that he knew where Cloud was coming from, and it was really easy to talk to him. Now he was just sitting on the railing on the second floor porch, hoping to see the man again. It was awfully desperate of him, he acknowledged, but talking to him had really been that much of a pleasure.

He was there for 5 minutes before thinking that just being there, creepily waiting for an essential stranger to show up wasn't okay, but as soon as he hopped off the railing, none other than Yuffie Kisaragi bumped into him hard. He flew back into the railing and he wasn't scared of falling from since he'd taken greater tumbles in Nibelheim and was lithe for it, but the ninja had lightning reflexes and pulled him in anyways. He bumped into her even harder than he did the railing with all the force she put into it.

"You really oughta be careful, Spike!"

"Hey, Yuffie," was all he could really say in that moment. He wasn't surprised about her fast response, just that she was there. He liked Yuffie just as much as he did Vincent, but she wasn't on his mind as much as he was. In all honesty, she kind of scared him. She was just an extremely vibrant young girl with the skills (from what he could see) of a damned assassin, and she was very sensitive to people's reactions when she wanted to be it seemed, because Cloud thought she could probably guess what he was thinking right then.

"What'cha doin' out here all by yourself?" she asked with a sly grin.

"Waiting to see if Vincent will show up."

He was perhaps a bit too honest here. Could Yuffie keep these things to herself? He didn't want to come off as a creep or anything, but then again, he wasn't naturally a liar. She'd probably be able to see through any lie he told if he tried.

"Vinny's probably gonna to be out all night tonight, but I'll keep you company if you want."

"Ah," he said as if he were going to turn her down, because it was sort of a blow to his pride to be caught so lonely, but he liked Yuffie despite his wary feelings towards her. "Sure, thanks."

"No problem," she assured with a large smile. She led him down the hall towards his apartment, but then when they passed it he tried to stop her and tell her it was the other way. Cloud couldn't have guessed that the ninja wanted to hang out in Vincent's apartment uninvited.

"Oh, he won't mind you being here, Cloud! He seems to like you a lot."

What does that mean? She wasn't being terribly specific.

"That's all well and good, but I don't think Vincent would want a stranger in his house, regardless of how much he liked 'em."

"C'mon, it'll be fine! Like I said, Vinny's not coming back until this morning. You'll be gone before he gets here, and you won't have to be alone in that apartment of yours."

Assuming this meant that Yuffie didn't want to be in his apartment, he guessed she probably had her worries about him, too. Being that she had been in Vincent's apartment before, she'd probably be more comfortable in his house anyways. Either that, or she already knew there wasn't anything to do in there, also a very likely explanation. The thought of her being in his apartment without him knowing didn't bother him as much as maybe it should have.

So that's how he got talked into going into someone's house without permission by a 16 year old girl. She acted like it was the norm to just waltz in people's houses. It probably was for her, but Cloud supposed it was things like this that made her as unique as she was. She was very right to say her stealth was unmatched.

Yuffie probably snuck up on him 3 times while he was hanging out with her, which was no less than 15 minutes. Valentine's house was pretty barren as well, but not in a way that suggested he didn't have the money to buy any furniture, unlike Cloud, who only filled one room with all the furniture he had. It was just the bare necessities, and strangely enough, an old, fat PS2 with a bunch of good games piled next to it. There were even a few memory cards sitting there with evidence of peeled stickers on them. Maybe Yuffie brought those here?

Most of his furniture was black, but at least it all matched. And the lack of anything decorative was pretty much what he'd expected from Valentine. There wasn't much in the kitchen either, except for a few sweets here and there, and a half eaten pie. Vincent didn't look like a pie guy. Cloud was tempted to snoop around in his bedroom and see if it was the same as in the living room, but thought better of it because it's just plain creepy to do so.

But looking around wasn't all he did there. They talked about themselves a little, because that's just what you do when you've met a person. At first, Yuffie was just addressing some simple questions that she hadn't had the chance to while they were in the library/bookstore/whatever, like if he did his hair on his own, where he was from, his hobbies…

"Hey, do you play video games?"

"We didn't really have many back in Nibelheim, but I have-"

"I challenge you to a game of your choice!"

He was taken aback by the sheer confidence Yuffie displayed. She wasn't even a little concerned. There definitely wasn't any game he could pick that she'd have a disadvantage in, then. Well, deciding to just accept his defeat early, Cloud picked a title straight from the middle of the pile, a fighting game, and went on to get beaten viciously until late at night.

When Yuffie got tired or winning in that game she pulled out a racing game, and then after that a different fighting game.

He couldn't say it wasn't fun, and as soon as he'd gotten the hang of them he won a few games. Yuffie had him by about 30 matches per game, but there were no hard feelings. She was fun, he decided, despite her shady vibe. He liked her a little more after that.

After a long time, he resigned himself to the corner of the comfy couch, and he was watching Yuffie play a popular turn-based RPG by herself. Here and there he asked her about the story or the characters, because apparently she'd beaten it many times, but besides that there was nothing but a comfortable silence. Even that was more fun than being alone all night he decided, even if watching her crawl a dungeon fighting the same three enemies over and over could be a bit bland.

Cloud didn't realize how late it was when Vincent burst through the door looking like hell, but evidently Yuffie was wrong about when he was supposed to be home. Yuffie was so startled that she dropped her controller in the middle of a boss fight and swore louder than necessary, which surprised Cloud a lot more than Vincent's sudden appearance in his own house. Wasn't she supposed to be a ninja?

He was hunched over, hair all over the place in worse condition than before, and the slightest splatter of blood on his chin and cheek, some flowing freely from his nose. What the hell happened? Cloud was torn between panic and being stunned.

Yuffie was the first to respond, quickly and silently moving to his side, but when they saw each other his eyes never left Cloud's. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Yuffie's invitation. He was starting to second guess his welcome. More importantly than that, however, is the panic that swelled in his chest at seeing his new friend in that condition. Were they even friends, though? At this point, they were just acquaintances, meaning it was even worse to get caught in his house uninvited than before.

There were no words in his mouth, and he was finding it hard to summon the right phrase past the lump in his throat. What really could Cloud say to him? All he seemed capable of doing was watching from his frozen position on the couch.

The ninja guided Vincent over the couch, asking Cloud to move so he could lie down, and he did without protest. She moved around quickly, getting a cool washcloth and looking for a first aid kit. When she couldn't seem to find it she yelled from another room.

"Vinny, did you forget to grab a first aid kit again?"

"Sorry," he called out. He sounded tired. Cloud sat on his knees by the couch, looking into the room that Yuffie had gone into but trying to catch a glance of the man beside him every now and again. Vincent didn't seem to have any reservations about openly staring at Cloud though.

"It's good to see you again so soon, Cloud." Strife was reminded again just how much he liked hearing Vincent say his name. He turned his head back slowly, feeling his face contort with worry. How was it possible that somebody could be so pale.

"What happened to you?"

Vincent opened and closed his mouth, having a harder time forming sentences than Cloud had just a moment earlier. Yuffie saved him from having to speak however, coming back with the rag and scolding him for forgetting to buy the kit yet again. How many times had this happened?

"I told you that I should've come with you."

"I'm fine, Yuffie," he said as she gently swiped the cloth at his nose, "It just looks bad. I'm just tired. I wasn't able to stop it this time."

What is 'it?'

Where was this place? Cloud didn't know. He didn't want to be involved, and at the same time he wanted to know everything. This was a bad situation to get caught up in, he decided. Torn between wanting to get caught up, and knowing what's safe, Cloud got up and prepared to say goodbye. This wasn't a thing they were just going to tell him about right away, and besides, it could be just because it's better not to know, but he had no grounds to make assumptions.

What was he supposed to do, anyways? Was he going to demand answers from these people that he'd only met today? He couldn't possibly be so unreasonable. This wasn't a thing he really should be sticking his nose in anyways.

"I guess I'll catch you guys later," he said over the drone of the quiet video game battle music. "I hope you're feeling better tomorrow, Vincent."

He turned away but Yuffie's hand caught a handful of his jeans, effectively stopping him. She looked sad to see him go, like a four year old leaving school for the first time ever.

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to, isn't that right, Vinny?"

"... If he wants to leave, then you shouldn't try to muscle him into staying…" Vincent seemed to understand that Cloud didn't actually want to be involved in whatever the hell this was.

"But we had a good time hanging out today! I know you'll be fine, and I know nothing will happen to Cloud if he stays, so why not? It's not fair that you get to come in here all bloody and ruin it."

"I didn't say 'no,'" he claimed sounding guilty, though Strife thought that the feeling was unwarranted, seeing as how it was Vincent's apartment. He must value Yuffie's opinion a lot.

"...Sorry, Vinny. I didn't mean that. You _should've_ let me come with you this time."

He didn't respond to her at first. Cloud knew that Vincent probably didn't just go out and get fucked up like he was on purpose, so there ought not to be this strange feeling of guilt he had.

"The decision is Cloud's"

Then they both looked to him. He really should go… "I'll stay if you really want me to, Yuffie."

She cheered and tried to keep track of her game, Cloud, and Vincent all at once, thanking him for keeping her company and playfully chastising Vincent or being a bad host. Strife was worried though, and he was only able to keep his nervousness down until he forgot about it by paying extra attention to Yuffie's game of Persona 4.

-)(-)(-)(-

Cloud woke up with a start. He felt a terrible panic wash over him at not recognizing his surroundings. It didn't last long, though, as he relaxed and pressed his back up against the couch from his place on the floor of Vincent's apartment. His neck ached from the awkward position. He guessed that Vince fell asleep first, then himself, and lastly Yuffie. At least she made herself comfy.

Yuffie was laying on her side next to him, halfway under the coffee table and nearly clinging to him. Her hair appeared to have yellow highlights with the way the sun touched it. Cloud swore he could see a trail of spit from her pouty lips too. She looked younger than before while she slept.

Vincent had his clawed hand hanging off the side of the couch with the elbow of his other arm shielding his eyes from any light. There was a thick dried train of blood streaming down from his nose to his ear. He must've started bleeding again while they were asleep. Cloud wanted to know why he hadn't bothered to do anything about it. Just how beat up was he? There must've been more damage under the surface that Cloud couldn't see. That, or he was more exhausted than he let anyone know. maybe that's why he let Cloud, nearly a total stranger, stay the night.

He felt bad for Valentine, then. Whatever was going on in his life… it must be quite the burden. Strife looked for the discarded rag from last night and found it on the other side of Yuffie. He leaned over, grabbed it, and realized that it smelled like mildew from having water and a bit of blood in it all night long. Grimacing at the nasty smell, the runaway got up and threw the dirty rag into the kitchen sink, searching some drawers and cabinets for what he was looking for.

Warm water ran over the hand holding the clean rag, and then he wrung it out hoping that the noise of the water hitting the bottom didn't wake up anybody. he sat back in the spot he fell asleep in and considered the fact that Vincent might not want him to touch him, but disregarded it because he really just was trying to help.

Gently, Cloud scrapped the cloth over the dried blood trail on Vincent's face, and he heard his breath hitch, even felt it on his hand, and then he saw his eyes crack open the slightest bit as Strife continued to wipe away at the stain.

A quiet moment passed by before Vincent muttered, "You remind me of her in a way," The sound of his voice was slow and soft. Obviously he wasn't all there yet, and honestly, Cloud expected him to fall back asleep any second, but he humored him calmly.

"How so?" He didn't even know who 'her' was supposed to be referring to. It was just the way Valentine had uttered that sentence that made Cloud respond back like he did. He was just talking, and whether it meant anything was irrelevant to him at the moment. Cloud felt like Vincent probably needed to say whatever he was trying to say.

"You both do this sort of thing… And when you talk, I listen…"

"Does she clean you up when you're like this?" Cloud assumed he meant Yuffie. He continued to swab gently at the blood streak on his face.

"She's not… She can't seem to be _gentle_ like you though…" He said that like Cloud made some kind of false accusation. "I think she wanted to scar me that time. Don't you think so, too?"

"Scar you? I wasn't there." That cleared up any suspicion on Yuffie's part. That girl didn't really seem like the kind of person who would try and hurt Vincent without reason. Cloud wasn't trying to hurt him either, so he lost how he and 'her' were alike if they both did this sort of thing. There was no doubt that Vincent was referring to a time long before the two of them had met.

"Your voice is easier to hear than most, but you aren't loud… You and her…" Vincent's arm rose up from its place over his bandanna, and his hand rose up to rest instead on Cloud's wrist. "She could never be as soft, because she would never do something unless she could gain from it." The calloused finger tips rubbed his wrist as if to get a better feel of the skin there, but Cloud couldn't seem to care enough to want the paler man to let go.

The fog in his crimson eyes was slowly fading, and maybe he was waking up more. Still, Cloud couldn't find the grace to ask who 'she' was. It seemed like this sort of thing was going to turn out to be an awful recurrence for the two of them. The man in front of Strife was mysterious in such a way that he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with, and that is where the future problem lied.

But Cloud needed a friend, and it was turning out that Vincent needed someone to talk to, so until the runaway finally got affected negatively, he wanted to be there to hear the things he had to say. It felt a lot like reading the sequel to a book he never started.

"I don't know why, but I can't get her out of my head when I see you."

He still couldn't force himself to push off the paler man's hand from his wrist so that he could continue to wipe away at his face, but he supposed it might be easier to hear what he had to say if he withheld from it anyways. On the inside he was confused, but his face was probably as relaxed as Vincent's, and he realized then that it was probably unusual and surreal for the both of them now that he was a little more aware of the world around him.

"If we're so alike, does that mean that you think I might try to hurt you somehow?"

"It's funny. I don't _really_ have a reason to, now do I?"

"Not that I've noticed."

"Then… Why do I feel like this…? She could never be... so gentle..."

"Maybe we both have trust issues," Cloud muttered, suddenly reminded of his attitude about making friends, and how his detachment and indifference about the people around him held him back from making connections and relationships time and time again. Not only that, but he thought of Tifa, and how she might not hold him in the same light that he held her her in. Thinking about that always made him a little upset, because the thought had always been on his mind no matter how he tried to pretend it wasn't there.

He thought that maybe Vincent was more in tune with the way people were feeling than he let on. Taking his other clawed hand, he laid it on top of the more human one, and lightly squeezed, and he wasn't sure if it was meant to be comforting but somehow it was received that way. Cloud thought that there was more emotion in his hands than his face, still pretty drowsy looking if not for his clear eyes, but he wasn't sure about what he was trying to say.

"Maybe you're right… but the one thing I _can_ be certain both you and Lucrecia have in common is your ability to make me lower my guard. Please don't hurt me," he said softly.

So her name was Lucrecia. Cloud didn't know what to make of his openness. It was so sudden and unexpected, so much so that he questioned whether or not he should stick around for much longer. If he hid things from him than he felt like running, but if he revealed things he still felt the same way. This was a bad sign, but he wanted to wait for something bad to happen first.

"Let's make a deal. I promise not to hurt you, if you can promise me the same thing." Cloud was really trying not to freak out, because on the inside he was a bit frazzled at this surreal conversation. He was better at keeping himself composed than anyone had ever given him credit for. It didn't make much sense from start to finish, but apparently Vincent didn't feel the same way about it. He was strange beyond appearances, it seemed.

Yawning languidly, he replied softly, "I promise," and then that was the end of it. Drowsy eyelids drooped lower and lower until finally they closed completely. His hands slipped from Cloud's wrist, and it felt cold where they left him, but he patiently wiped the rest of the remaining blood from Valentine's face and then got up carefully, to avoid unnecessary pain in his cramped neck.

His stomach was growling now, and he didn't want to wake Yuffie up with it, so he got up from his spot again and left for his own apartment, but he couldn't get Vincent out of his head. It was much like when they'd separated the day before. As he prepared to make himself a sandwich, he thought on and on about Vincent's life, and all the things that could have happened in it.

-)(-)(-)(-

Later that day, after work, on the way back to the Triangle building, Cloud realized that Vincent and Yuffie were the only people he could think about since meeting them. It felt a bit childish to not have anything else on his mind, but he supposed if he forced himself he could forget them for a while.

And it wasn't as if he didn't have things to do that he ought to focus on, but after last night, and that strange bit of bleary morning talk, it was all he wondered about. Truthfully though, Cloud had enough money saved up for a bed now, and maybe he could get a decent phone, too. It was a little hard to decided which he needed more. A phone for communication or a bed for improved comfort and health. He wasn't sure he had enough for both.

Everyday after working in the bookstore though, (or the library since Aerith couldn't decide what she wanted with it,) he didn't feel like doing much at all, even if it was a slow day. More people went in there than anyone might expect. Still, Cloud didn't have much of a reason to feel so tired from it everyday. Whatever Vincent does leaves him so exhausted that he can't even be bothered to stop his nose from bleeding.

But there lies the problem. He was constantly on his mind since this morning. When he finally trudged up the stairs to the second floor of The Triangle Building, he half hoped that Yuffie would invite him inside Vincent's place, and half hoped that neither of them would be anywhere in sight. This indecisiveness was unlike him.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there was nobody to meet him in the hall, so he made him way inside his own house and tried to focus on sleeping. That was all he felt like doing.

He couldn't sleep though. Not when Valentine had said all those things to him. Cloud couldn't fathom a person being so open so naturally, especially a person such as Vincent. So why had he admitted those things? He could tell at first that it wasn't on purpose at first, but why, when he was actually awake, did he continue to go on about Lucrecia? Who was this woman, who had purposely tried to scar his neighbor?

And what did it mean, that Vincent couldn't stop 'it?' Where was Yuffie trying to go that would've saved Vincent the injury, and where exactly should Cloud be right now? What he thought was most important to sort out was if he should let himself be involved. It was time to start acting more like himself and decide what he wanted to do.

Did Vincent even remember this morning? Regardless, Cloud promised not to hurt him, and that meant being his friend. If he happened to get caught up in it, he couldn't go back on his word and leave him. Sometimes he had to remind himself that he needed a friend just as much as Vincent, too, and that it would probably do them both good in the long run.

It took longer than it usually would, but eventually Cloud began to drift off, and fell asleep in the chair that he was starting to hate for it's upright position. He'd probably buy a bed first. What did he need a phone for anyways? He would just have to show up for work everyday and make due without being able to call in sick. Really, a phone bill would really constrict his eating, too. Yeah, a phone could wait.

And then he finally drifted off to sleep...

...

…

His eyes shot open wide when he heard a loud sliding noise over by the window. What the fuck was that? He could see through his own hazy eyes, and once again he was awoken in a panic.

"Oi, Spike," Yuffie? "What are you doing in this lonely old apartment of yours? Didn't you want to hang out again today?"

"...What?"

"Well, you didn't bother to say goodbye this morning, and then I couldn't find you on the veranda, so I waited for you to knock or something on Vinny's door, but you didn't, and it's been like two hours since you got off work, and Vinny's not home yet. I got scared that what you saw last night scared you away or that I did something to make you not want to hang out, and I-I didn't know you were just sleeping in here, Spike, but you should use a bed. Upright position's just torture on the back!"

She was just like any other 16 year old girl, he thought, with her nervous rambling and unsure confrontation. he felt bad that he didn't say 'bye' but she was sleeping. Did she expect him to wake her up for that?

"M'sorry, Yuffie. I didn't want to wake you up, and I wasn't sure I should come over today, either."

"Well, we're friends now! Of course you should come over as much as possible! Unless you don't want to. What do you wanna do, Spike?"

The sentiment was appreciated but screamed that she was in need of attention. At least she didn't display this need in an unhealthy way. Sure, pick-pocketing wasn't exactly the best way to express these things, but Cloud had never witnessed it himself, and her breaking into his apartment wasn't quite as annoying as one might expect it to be, so he was kinda cool with it.

He leaned forward and cracked his neck, then he stood up and tried to stretch the cricks out of his spine, heaving a heavy sigh as he slowly came back online and fully woke up.

"I'll hang out if you really want me to, Yuffie." If this was how their friendship was going to go, then that was fine by Cloud. He supposed the situation made his decision easier.

* * *

**Well, first thing's first: Thank you for reading! What did you think of this chapter, and what kind of questions do you have about it? **

**I hope I didn't write Yuffie too obnoxious in this chapter. Sometimes I read fics where her ignorance is just incredibly over the top, just too much for her to seem like a real person. What did you guys think of that morning scene? That part actually happened to be really super duper fun to write~ Did the way I include Lucrecia seem okay to you guys?**

**As always, please leave a review wheter you liked this or not! An honest review is more important than no review at all. I hope you liked what you read!**


	3. Chapter 3

Today just happened to be another painstakingly boring day at the library, and though Aerith was surely some of the best company Cloud had been able to keep in his entire_ life,_ there was no real way to get around his extreme boredom. He felt sick. The rain was beating against the glass door of the place, and thusly, it was a bad idea to go to any of the places he had discovered in his time living in Midgar. Not that it would really stop him.

Like the abandoned park, or sometimes the river, places where it was easy to think was where he spent his time alone. Compared to his apartment, these places were surprisingly fresh. What better waste of time could he have than to stare at the silvery, slightly polluted river from a damp log, or sit on top of the cold swing set with the seat-less chains? Out of all the places he would like to spend his time at, however, Vincent's apartment had been the place that he visited with the most consistency. He waited for the day that Vincent would stumble in bleeding again.

At first he had to be invited. Whether it was by Yuffie or by Vincent, he never just waltzed into the living space without invitation. This was because of the bizarre first night they'd had, and also because of common decency. This wasn't some RPG where he could just run into people's houses and ask for advice, after all. All this, until recently.

Recently though, Yuffie had invited Cloud into the apartment again while Vincent was out, and said that it would be fine if he just came inside like she did if he ever needed to since the door was almost always unlocked. Cloud wasn't about to take her word for it though. To Cloud, that seemed like an insane amount of trust, but he supposed later on that for the amount of time he'd spent with them both, it might be appropriate. Also, considering that promise they'd made to each other, whether or not Cloud could verify that Vincent even remembered, he had to keep it. That right there was already too much trust, but a promise is a promise.

He never did get an explanation for either of the strange happenings on the first night, but he never did ask either. Cloud had some major reservations about poking his nose into affairs other than his own after all. That's not to say that the amount of time he'd spent with them didn't warrant a simple question, but honestly, Cloud just didn't want to have to deal with whatever the answer might be, because there was no doubt that it would eat away at him constantly.

Was he really ready to hear about whatever monsters they were fighting?

He always found himself wondering why his eyes had the slightest glow, just like his, though as far as he could tell, neither of them were involved with the ShinRa. Cloud would just have to wait and see what kind of details he might find about Vincent's past.

But still, that doesn't mean he didn't wonder. Vincent, that tall man with the crimson eyes, had promised not to hurt him if he could return the favor, and sometimes he doubted if he could keep his promise to Vincent. It felt like the burdens he carried might push him away, should he ever reveal them, and of course Cloud was never really sure if he was being a good friend or not, coming and going without ever having much to say. Obviously, Vincent wasn't the talkative type, even if the words between them left each other feeling a little more alive than before, but Cloud would always have a hard time believing he was enough.

Really, he couldn't be sure if it was for the better. A few times before, he'd seen little hints about their business when they were feeling particularly comfortable around him. Like Vincent's triple barreled gun, Cerberus, which had been carefully placed onto the coffee table one night when he simply could not hold his own eyelids open anymore. He remembered carrying him into his room with Yuffie behind him, holding the pistol in her two small hands, and placing it in some hiding place or another, also sort of suspicious. At least he wasn't bleeding, but it was still very disconcerting to see him like that.

That's not to mention Yuffie's less subtle hiding spot for her own weapon. It was a place Cloud would never look, but if he ever decided to take a better look than just a glance, it would be right in his face. One particular day, where the pattern was broken, and it was Cloud waiting with Vincent for Yuffie to appear, she damn near fell through the window. Cloud, being able to see out of it clear, noticed a large conformer plunged into the concrete of the wall there. He didn't ask any questions about it, but he was certainly confused.

Thinking back on it, he realized that he spent way more time with Yuffie than with Vincent, yet he was the one who was always on his mind. That was really the first time they'd ever really had an honest moment alone with each other since becoming more than acquaintances, yet neither of them had said much to each other until Yuffie made her appearance.

So he sat in the chilly library, bookstore, whatever Aerith wanted it to be, without doing a god damned thing. Aren't people supposed to like reading when it rains? It was supposed to be one of the most calming things to do, but that still didn't change the lack of anything happening.

Eventually, when Cloud is too far into a daydream about his new friends, Zack came into the building looking like a drowned cat. His hair was indecisive in whether it wanted to be matted down by the water or stand up with pride.

"Zack!" says the voice that actually draws Cloud's attention to the shift in the bookstore's generally empty aura. He coughed. "How can you come here in weather like this! Seriously, you can't keep ditching your job like this…"

Cloud thinks that the way she trails off suggests that she's happy to see him regardless, just like it always does, and then he thinks that the tired excuse is just so that it doesn't seem like she doesn't care about the more responsible things to do in front of Cloud. Yes, the suspicion that she wouldn't care if Cloud wasn't there wouldn't go away. Silently, he admitted to himself that it wouldn't be so bad if he spent more time with these two as well. Aerith was very nice, and she could be very helpful when he needed to sort out his thoughts, too. Plus, Zack just seemed like a lot of fun.

Zack chuckled charismatically and kissed Aerith in a reassuring manner, and just like that, Cloud had lost interest. Honestly, how many times could one see this same exact scene before deciding that maybe it wasn't too interesting after all? Strife was having a hard time keeping the green from his eyes lately. He blamed Mr. Valentine from across the hall. A very frustrating man, and in more than just one way.

Something flicked him in the nose just then, and when he looked up at the hand that did it, he realized that suddenly and strangely, Zack's attention was directed towards him. He was zoning out more and more these days.

"Hey, Spikey," the implemented nickname had somehow surprised him in its personal fashion, though he'd been called that a lot. "You can man the shop while I take Aerith out, right? Please? I promise to pay you back for it somehow-" This man had the puppy eyes thing _down._ Cloud never thought that people actually used it, though.

Aerith said "You can't ask him to do that," at the same time that Cloud said, "I guess it's fine."

Honestly, who could deny Zack, when his smile was oftentimes so genuine, and his eyes, with their bright blueish luminescence, were always upbeat? Even when he had been upset, he slapped on a smile and continued his day. He really was a prideful guy.

"Cloud, I can't make you stay here_ alone_ just so that I can go out and have fun. It's not fair."

"Well, I don't really mind since nothing is happening here," he said to her with confidence that she wouldn't need much reassurance. Aerith, for all her kindness, was still just a regular person who sometimes needed to indulge in her own wants and needs, and so, Cloud being the perfectly reasonable guy that he is, let her go without seriously caring. It really wasn't like her presence would make a difference anyways, as the place would likely be dead all day.

She thanked him with a smile, and then the two walked out under the same clear umbrella until Cloud couldn't see them through the rain on the window anymore. Strangely enough, the thought of Vincent crossed his mind, yet again. What did it mean to have one constantly on the mind? Cloud couldn't imagine him using an umbrella. He thought that a guy like Valentine would want to feel the rain.

He felt the same way, of course. He never really felt a connection to Nibelheim, but he never thought that he'd end up missing the shitty weather or it's coldness either. Upon his arrival in Midgar, he realized that it didn't rain nearly as much, and rarely did it ever snow, either.

What he missed most was that girl from his hometown, who probably never even thought of him. She must've been so disappointed in him. Firstly, for not sticking around, and secondly, for not being what he'd always said he wanted to be. He wanted to work for the ShinRa as a child. Who didn't back then? So young and naive, most kids his age saw the ads and whatnot for the SOLDIER program, all painting the ShinRa in a golden light, and none of them knew for a long time after, that it wasn't nearly as great as they'd assumed.

They all learned later on that the ShinRa was a corrupted and disgusting ball of greed that could very well be the downfall of anything civilian it touched. How normal, it seemed, that the ShinRa was capable of such things. Some people held it against its workers, but Cloud didn't really have an opinion, and after meeting Zack, it was clear that at least a few weren't bad people.

However, all these things didn't stop Cloud from promising to save Tifa if she ever needed it, should he join SOLDIER, but obviously that never happened and the boy she had hoped would be her hero never lived up to his expectations.

So depressing… The bell to the door to the library rung, much to Cloud's surprise, but his reaction dimmed down quite a bit when he saw that it was only Vincent and Yuffie, and then spiked back up upon realizing that the rain had stopped. The outside glowed a pretty sunny orange color. So much for that. Apparently, it was supposed to be on and off all day, but he hadn't expected it to end so suddenly so soon.

When had the rain stopped?

"Cloud," Vincent muttered in greeting. "Where is Aerith?"

"Out with Zack," he said simply. How could he say it without letting a touch of green out? Sure, he was jealous, but that was only to be expected, and while there was a chance Yuffie wouldn't have noticed, Vincent would for sure.

"Well," he continued on without much indication in his tone that he cared, though his eyes were never quite as guarded as his voice. Cloud could only hope he wasn't asked about it later. "We're just here to return these books. However, if you… wouldn't mind the company, then we'd be fine with staying a while."

"Oi, Cloud's not feeling too well, huh?" Yuffie piped up then to make note of how bad he looked. "He's nearly as pale as you, Vinny, and he eyes aren't so bright today…"

That wasn't really a surprise. He'd been sniffling all day, and it was probably because he'd fallen asleep by the river until the cold rain started to pour from the tree leaves. It was just a small cold, but he assumed Vincent and Yuffie would have no way of knowing that, so he told them so.

"So, are you the sickly type then? I didn't take you for the kind of guy who gets colds just like _that_. Cause you're a lot stronger than you look, you know?"Yuffie snapped her fingers for extra but unnecessary emphasis.

"Well, no, I don't usually catch colds very easily…" he started, wondering if he should tell the two about the river. It's purpose was supposed to be a place where Cloud could be alone, after all, but they were his friends, right? There wasn't a good enough reason to hold the information back, he decided. As he sniffled yet again, he asked himself when the pair might feel the same.

"I went to the river by the park near the entrance to sector 7 and fell asleep there without an umbrella after we finished hanging around last night, so when I finally made it back home I was chilled to the bone."

"Wh- Cloud, why would you go to some crusty old river? Don't you keep an eye on the weather?"

It wasn't very hard to believe that Yuffie couldn't really understand why he might want to sit by the river. He thought that if he ever took her there she'd talk about the thing he was trying to get away from, and if she got bored of that then she'd most likely take to the tree branches and hop around until she eventually broke her leg, or something equally as awful. For a ninja, she didn't have much patience.

Cloud was about to answer her when Vincent spoke up for him, looking him in the eye as if for confirmation. "Cloud must have wanted to be alone." It appeared that Vincent could relate to that very well, and sometimes Cloud hated how alike they were. He couldn't describe the feeling it gave him in any other way than that it felt like he was being teased with something he couldn't have.

Rather embarrassed to admit it, Cloud slowly nods his head a breaks eye contact with Vincent, feeling his lips pull down in a wobbly discontented frown. He can't feel the fluster on his cheeks but assumes it's there none the less. When he arrived, he never felt like he had to care about what the man thought of him, but these days he felt much different about it.

Yuffie is the one to push things along in a different direction, apparently being able to summon the maturity to pick up on these little uncomfortable moments when she wants to, saying, "Well, whatever. I got a new game to kick your ass in, so as soon as you're done with work, it's on!" She then proceeded to make a very cute fighting pose.

To this, Cloud promptly put aside his own feelings and defended himself that he wasn't going down easily, only to return to them when he was safely alone.

-)(-)(-)(-

That log had never seemed more inviting than it did today, as the sounds of the rushing water matched to moisture of the wooded area around it. Everything was sopping wet and cold. Cloud found a hard time hating the feeling, and an even harder time being upset about whatever dirt had gotten on his clothes. All the mud on his boots would be a pain to clean off later, but if it meant he could have this comfort now, then it would be worth it. The smell of the wooded area was infinitely better than the stale air of the Triangle Building.

After holding his own against Yuffie in the game for as long as he could, and hanging around a little while after, he made his way to this place, and it was already sort of dark. Everything was a shade of black, blue, silver and purple, and it was utterly perfect for his purpose, just like Vincent had assumed.

Sorting through his feelings, it was easy to tell that his general attraction to Vincent is becoming more than just wanting a platonic relationship, more than just being honest about his appealing features. He'd been avoiding that thought for a bit because… There was much more to know about Vincent than what he saw at first glance, but this place was just about forcing him to admit the fact. It was a tad ironic, since he'd come here to run away from it, it was basically an upfront admittance.

Why had he needed a few books on demonology that day in the library? It could be an interest, justifiably, but it seemed like whatever he and Yuffie made their income on was tied in with those books. And what was that source of income, anyways? It was terrifying to think that a guy like Vincent could be wrapped up in something demonic, as a way of making his own funds. It was terrifying to think Yuffie was dragged along into it, as well. Not to say that Cloud was a believer.

As much as he'd love to daydream about mundane things like kissing and cuddling, just being close, Cloud couldn't stop the more gruesome images from his mind. Like the man in the red cowl fighting for his pay against some atrocious monster, covered in one or the other's blood. He remembers him coming into his own living room and nearly passing out on the couch with his nose bloodied, and random splattered scattered on his face and clothes.

Plus, for whatever horrors he had seen, Cloud was very curious about Lucrecia, a woman who was not so gentle, and had tried to scar the man of his affections. Where was she now, and why, if there was even a reason, would she want to harm Vincent? Cloud tried not to spend too much time thinking about that, just like how he avoided the subject of his inability to show affection. He'd never be able to establish a relationship like the one he imagined.

Sometimes, when he wasn't feeling the mild confusion he always felt towards Valentine, he could feel more strongly a definite attraction. It had started with his mouth, and how he had kept it hidden. Seeing it for the first time in the library was probably where the more primal side of his attraction to the man had begun, though of course there are other things that have added to it since. He liked his teeth, which seemed a little long in the canines, and he liked to watch his tongue when he talked. His sadness at seeing him cover back up in embarrassment at the mention of… was it a blouse? It was still deemed unreasonable to feel that way about it to Cloud.

That being said, he loved to hear the words he spoke. His voice was very nice on the ears, and he could evenly say that he like hearing him more than he liked to watch the words form, but really, Cloud believed that his mouth all together was a perfect spectacle.

Then the softer tinged side of his affection towards the guy, from his personality, had appeared upon talking to him, and realizing that his short answers were not so curt because of Cloud's own (self perceived) awfulness, but because that's just how he was. Sometimes it seemed like all the people around him talked more than he could handle, and it felt a bit like suffocation when he couldn't find a response in time to reply. But never with Vincent. Never with Vincent could he say that it was hard to find something to say back, except for maybe that time he had a whole conversation with him still half asleep.

Yes, his pretty mouth and his irresistible personality, those were the first things to draw him in, and then everything else started to make an impression as well. He sometimes wanted to drag his fingers through that long unruly hair of his, and he wanted to be able to see his neck more often. He wanted to see the pale skin on his hands, to put a name to the sweet smell always coming faintly from him, and to taste whatever flavor of cake or pie he'd eaten last on his lips. More than all that, though, he wanted to know him.

And that's where the problem lies. It's just a circular thing, to want to do these things and to avoid taking the first step, even unwilling to admit that it's actually what he wanted. He supposed that could be another thing that makes him a disappointing person.

Once again, he summoned the will to ignore those thoughts and stared at the silvery river. In the distance, he could see a few bits of trash making their way down the path of water, but there was more litter gathered at the shore. When it wasn't so muddy, and the weather got warmer, Cloud would clean up a little bit and make his spot a little nicer.

He wanted to do that on a worldly scale too, somehow. Of course he did. It was his planet, the only one he'd ever get. If he was to live here, he ought to keep it clean, right? Even if in most cases the impact he could make would be small…

Cloud was probably drifting off again before he realized that for some reason he wasn't alone. His eyes had gotten droopy, and his back had slouched a bit, resting on the trunk of a tree near the damp log, but his eyes snapped open when a snap in a twig somewhere down the river surprised him. He thought it was an animal at first, so he didn't bother looking, but when he felt it getting closer he looked over just in time to see the man of his affections silently joining him on the log. What nice timing he has.

"You shouldn't let yourself fall asleep out here too much anymore." It was the first thing he'd said, curt voice nearly but not quite scolding him, though he had too much patience in his wording to be taken too harshly. Cloud thought that it was very much like him to ignore a regular greeting and get straight to the point, and he thought for his tone that he could've been an excellent teacher. He didn't mind much his seemingly unfriendly vibe, considering that that he knew it wasn't how he had intended for anyone to take it.

"What brought you to the river…?" He surprised himself with how tired his own voice was. Maybe he really should mind his health a little more than he was.

There was a pause, and though they both stared out into the dirty water for the entire duration of Vincent's short visit so far, Cloud could feel those red eyes glance at him with a strange heat.

"I… had avoided it for fear of seeing what the world has done to it's cleanliness, but when I heard that you spent your time here as well, I realized that it would be easier to bear with someone at my side. I haven't been here in a long time, but I'm… not shocked to find what Midgar has done to it."

It was obvious that Valentine preferred to deal with his problems alone, and liked to avoid becoming the burden, but at least Cloud was able to help in this small sort of way. He then realized that he had no idea how old this man was. Things like this only added to his curiosity about his past, though. Wanting to pry, but choosing not to out of consideration for Vincent, he let his eyes droop.

Keeping his yawns ans sniffles in as best as he could, he listened to the river, and the wind's breath, and eventually he heard those buckles click open as well. It was great that he could at least feel comfortable around him. It was even better that he gave him the courage to visit a place he had been scared to see before.

"You know, this place is mostly unchanged from the last time I had seen it."

"When was that?"

This appeared to make Vincent think a little. As if he hadn't considered how long ago it actually was, just remembering it freshly.

"It was probably something like 33 years since I was last here."

He couldn't help widening his eyes a little at that. Vincent barely looked 20. What had he looked like just a few years prior? He probably got a lot of shit about appearing to be a child. Still, he supposed that was just another thing he could say made him attractive. How, he wondered, could he feel this way about a guy he found he barely knew much about? Sometimes he questioned if he was even thinking things through.

"I always came here when I had time to escape from the things around me. That's why I knew why you'd come here yourself. That being said, I can leave if you'd like to be alone."

He was already standing from the log, and if Cloud felt he could've helped his reaction he would've, but nothing stopped his hand from shooting up and gripping Vincent's clawed wrist. Even that slight contact made him tense up visibly, so nearly as quickly as it had shot up there it had slid away back to his side.

"You can stay; I don't mind."

Then it was like they'd bumped in the hall all over again. They just stared, like there couldn't possibly be a phrase in their language that summed up an appropriate response. In the end, he didn't say anything, and resumed his place on the log without a hitch of breath. Had he really expected Cloud not to want to keep his company? Though his cowl was open, he was still as unreadable as ever, it seemed.

His heart swelled to the point of pain. How could he ever make a move, when he'd so obviously not wanted to be that close in the first place? It would take time perhaps, that was for sure, but honestly, Cloud wasn't sure he could even attempt pursuing Valentine since he was already one of his best friends. He wouldn't want to ruin that relationship, but at the same time, he couldn't stop his greed, and felt like if he could, he should try to have his cake and eat it too.

Hey, if you don't mind me asking," and he hesitated the slightest bit for the kind of question it was, "How old are you?"

"I… I promise to tell you some day, Cloud," and then that's when he felt another pang of fear at whatever his crush was hiding, "But right now I don't think I can. Or rather, if I should."

Well, whatever the fuck that meant was kind of freaking Strife out. It was as if Vincent was a monster. He had all these damn secrets, and still, he reached out and tried to interact with the more natural. Maybe Valentine was as selfish as Cloud was, in that he wanted things without willing to sacrifice.

They both kept their mouths shut for a long time before Cloud was able to speak up again.

"Will you at least tell me who she was? Lucrecia?" It was a loaded question, immediately making the chilly air far more tense than before. Maybe he should've kept quiet and enjoyed the silence the with man in the red cowl for a bit longer.

It was strange today, a perfect opposite of that time where even the surroundings were completely different, and Cloud was the one about to fall asleep, Vincent was the one who had to answer the questions. Cloud couldn't say it wasn't still uncomfortable, however.

"She was…" his voice sounded further away than it ever had before. "Lucrecia Crescent, a head scientist for the ShinRa a long time ago, and also… the love of my life."

The way he had admitted that made Strife think that maybe he should just convince himself somehow that the things he had started to feel for the man sitting next to him weren't real, and that they were only ever meant to be friends, because the hurt… The sheer amount of hurt in his voice was too much to bear; too much to think he could ever fill that void or mend the break there. He wouldn't ever be enough, he thought. Not exactly hard to believe, or even a new revelation in his case either.

"She was, by no means, a gentle or open woman, and to this day there are still some things I may never know about her, but her kindness was always what drew me to her, if not for her lovely features. Though I do regret my time working under her, the time we spent outside of our work was time I have decided I must always cherish."

Yeah, who could compete with that? Cloud, already pretty forlorn at the point, tried to drop his feelings immediately and only made his heart ache more than before. Hopefully they would both keep looking forward at the river, and Vincent would never notice the minute bitterness that had seeped into his face then. When and why had he let himself get in so deep?

"You make her sound beautiful." He didn't know what he expected, but that really wasn't something he wanted to hear, regardless. Maybe he should just ditch Valentine and go home.

"Yes, she was…" Perhaps he imagined it, but Vincent sounded just as tired as he felt. Just as he did that first night Cloud had spent at his apartment.

Was…? Is she dead now? That was too insensitive of a question. Cloud felt it might be best not to ask anything else anyways, since he was pretty sensitive too, evidently. He pretended that none of that made him feel like shit pretty well, but god forbid Valentine take his eyes off of that silvery water, or he might have to explain himself.

"You have someone like that in your life too, don't you, Cloud." How could he know? It didn't sound much like a question. Well, at least he got to hear his name again. Add that to the list of more primal reasons for liking Vincent. "Sometimes, without even looking, I can feel what you're thinking. I think it has to do with how alike we are at times."

He couldn't say that Vincent was becoming that person, so he half lied in his answer. "Yes, I do. Her name's Tifa. Childhood 'friend' of mine. I could never be sure if she was ever… No, I'm fairly certain she was never actually proud of anything I had done, and I doubt she thinks much of me now, or even that she misses me." It was a lot more depressing to say out loud. "I'm… mostly okay with that, though. Things are as they should be, I guess."

"You are worth a lot more than you give yourself credit for."

Cloud actually had to stop caring about the things his face might reveal to look over at Vincent, since the comment was unexpected. He didn't really know what he wanted to hear, but he supposed that Valentine was such a good friend that he couldn't really say anything else.

"How do you figure?" the words escaped as they made eye contact again. This seemed too deep of a conversation for them. Cloud wished these things would stop happening so that he'd have a legit reason to call his feelings unwarranted, but it just wouldn't stop. If he never talked to him like this, he'd never end up being in this position anyways.

"Surely you remember the first time we spoke to one another?"

"In the library? Of course I do."

"It was, and still is, very easy to speak with you, and I find myself wanting to speak with you more and more often. " That was funny, considering all the secrets he kept. "I thought it was strange that I had made a connection so suddenly. You are… important to me… If that means anything to you."

It felt so peculiar to hear these things. He wondered if Vincent really bought that story about Tifa, but he ignored that in favor of thinking of a graceful way to accept that confession. He couldn't prevent the gentle smile on his face any more than he could stop the wind. Maybe it was strange to say, but he even felt light in his eyes brighten a little at the happy feeling.

"Well, thanks. I'll just have to take your word for it on that one. You're important to me as well." Somehow he was feeling better about the situation he'd let himself get into. He wasn't Valentine's love, but at least he was his friend. That was more than enough for now. He wasn't in love, at least. It was just a rather deafening crush, and one he could get over with some time. That's what he told himself.

And for a while after that, the only thing they heard was the chilled breeze and the swishing river. It was peaceful. If Cloud didn't get the hell out of there he'd fall asleep. He didn't actually have a problem with that either, as long as he woke up before the sun rose again, and he was sure he would, so that he could shower and get ready for work in the morning. Really, making it back to his apartment was a lower priority than maybe it should be, but he was sure that he would go back home with Vincent anyways.

The water moved slower and slower as the night dragged on, and soon it seemed to trickle along quietly as if coaxing Cloud into taking a nap beside it. Now, nearly gone, Vincent asks the question Cloud hoped he wouldn't.

"You lied about her, didn't you?"

"...Not completely." He couldn't really lie to him, could he?

"Is it alright to ask how much of it was lie?"

"It's all true, except… Tifa never interested me like that. She was my only friend for a long time, if you could even call it that. I think, for a while, she might have wanted something more to happen, but I never could be what she was expecting."

"What would that be?"

Cloud thought of a way to put it into words. "A SOLDIER, her knight in shining armor."

The man with the crimson eyes stared ahead, probably thinking of a way to insert his own opinion on the matter. He looked conflicted.

"I believe you made the right choice, not getting involved with the ShinRa. That program is just a glorified science project. It happened to be rather successful, but one can never truly be sure of what's going on behind the ShinRa's closed door until he pays a visit there."

"You know, at the time, I think I was willing to go through a lot of whatever they had for me there once I got to the entrance exams, but my mother was very sick back then, and by the time she died I didn't have the will to go and try my hand at it. I think that might be another reason why a lot of the residents in Nibelheim were… as unwelcoming as they were. They must've all felt the same way Tifa did, in a way." It sounded as if it was something Cloud had never considered before towards the end.

"Well, you have some friends now, Cloud," He muttered his name again and he suddenly felt a little more at peace, if the atmosphere wasn't enough. "I… wasn't able to help many people in my lifetime either. I've spent a lot of my time on the planet living selfishly, and I've committed many sins, but if I could ever help you, I would do it without hesitation."

"Where did you learn to talk like that? It's like you already know what the right thing to say is before I even respond."

His eyes smiled as he chuckled for the first time that day. He liked listening to his laugh. It was unlike most others because he seemed so unused to it. It was very out of place in his throat, which somehow made it more appealing. More noteworthy than that was the honest, crooked smile he used. His lips looked dry, and probably cracked at the uncommon emotion, but for some reason Cloud couldn't bring himself to hate its awkwardness. The trait was just very endearing.

"Far from it. as I said before: you happen to be one of the only people I can speak with like this. And… I made a promise just like you did that morning some time ago, so if I can keep it intact, I must keep intact. There is no way around it."

Now being Cloud's turn to chuckle, he replied, "I can't say I don't feel the same way about it, either. I really can't be certain how good of a companion I can be to you though. I just don't have enough experience."

Feeling somewhat satisfied with the words between them, Cloud looked away and considered something he hadn't before, that simultaneously made him feel better and worse. If he had never really ever gotten what he wanted during his 19 years of life, then why of why would this be different? It was a very bad way to go about reassuring himself that things would be okay.

"If it means anything, so far, nothing has been a chore with you. My visit to this river has mostly been to keep your company, not just to see the damage that has been done."

He kept using that phrase, 'if it means anything.' How could it not? How, if they were really friends, could Cloud not take the words he said to heart, try to understand them, and make an attempt at returning the favor?

"Of course it means something to someone like me. You and Yuffie were my first real friends."

After that, they shared their final moment of silence before Vincent got up from the damp log slowly and quietly, and then took Cloud's hand in his own, guiding them out of the woods and back to the triangle building. It was in their hallway that the man with the crimson eyes asked the runaway almost shyly, if he would join him in his own apartment, since Yuffie was away. Who could tell him 'no?'

-)(-)(-)(-

Waking up in Vincent's apartment for the second time had been just as startling as it was the first time, but what happened to be the most disconcerting was that he wasn't on the floor like last time. Hell, being on the couch would be better than this. He found himself in a big bed with black sheets and blankets, and he was having a hard time recalling how he got there.

The dark transparent curtains let in enough light to see without being blinded at least, so it didn't take long to notice he was the only one in the bed, and there didn't appear to be any signs of someone else having slept there. Somehow, Cloud was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

It took longer than usual, but eventually he remembered what led to him sleeping in Vincent Valentine's bed. They stayed quiet for the rest of that night and then when Cloud fell asleep on the couch, Vincent led him to his bed as if he were a child and left to return to him place on the couch.

He wished he would have just left him on the couch. Cloud seriously wouldn't have minded, and it would lessen his guilt some if he had. He cautiously creaked out of the bed, which he had noted was way more comfortable than the cheap one he had picked up, and looked around the room. No pictures, no extreme mess (_other than the dirty pie plate on the nightstand_), nothing he wouldn't expect. Even the garbage can full of candy and sweets wrappers seemed to be just in place. Well, a glance around would be all the snooping he would do for now. Where were his shoes?

Clicking the door open slowly, he saw Yuffie busting very loudly through the living room window and onto the floor. A large and bloodied conformer came tumbling into the floorboard, embedded deeply into the carpet, hopefully not poking in too far. They both jumped at the noise, Cloud swearing very suddenly (_"Ooo, Shit!")_ and Valentine being the more disoriented of the two since he was just sleeping there on the couch. She was bleeding pretty heavily onto the carpet from the shattered window, and Cloud had no fucking clue why she didn't just open the window, but she appeared to have more injuries than what she got from the window. What a startling thing to walk in on. It was amazing how perfect his timing had been.

Yuffie was a god damned mess, Valentine just stared at her not knowing _what_ the hell he was looking at for a whole 3 seconds before springing into action, and Cloud was so scared and startled at whatever happened to be going on at the moment that he seemed to be frozen in his spot, Why is it that every time he stays the night at Valentine's place does somebody walk into, or in this case, break through a god forsaken window, injured? His heart was beating heavily in his throat, making his breathing harder.

"H-hey, Vinny… Spike… Sorry about the window, I hate to be so clumsy..." She was still pretty upbeat at least. That gave Cloud the ability to move again.

"Oh, planet," Strife breathed.

Vincent was at her side already though, hopefully asking questions that mattered, so Cloud moved to get some towels or gauze or something. Antiseptic and the like. The bathroom had all the stuff he was looking for and it took maybe a minute all together to find it all. When he came back into the living room they were already talking.

"-Searching for you now more than ever… because you're all of Chaos that's left."

"Yuffie… I'm sorry, Yuffie…"

"Don't do that. I'm always, _always_ going to be on your side!"

Cloud had never heard Vincent more anguished, and this scene was very dramatic. What the fuck was that even supposed to mean? Whatever it was, he rushed over with the things he'd gathered and worked to stop the bleeding on Yuffie's arms, only able to stop the tremors in his fingers because he needed to take some action. She seemed to be fine other than those, and a slight gash on her cheek, though there seemed to be some unrelated bruising here and there.

If Cloud had to make a guess at what just happened, Yuffie had been fighting something last night that left her so exhausted that she couldn't even to manage to jump to the shoddy window without sloppily breaking through it with her conformer. At least she didn't seem to need stitches. luckily, the blood made it look a lot worse that it really was. If she was really that hurt, Cloud hoped she would just use the front door anyways. At least she could still smile.

"I can't… How can you still smile when I'm the source of all harm that comes to you? I've never been a good person," and right at that moment, Cloud realized that there more to Vincent than just his silly crush, and that before he could make a move he'd have to learn more about him, "but I have never intended to let you take all these blows for me. You're so tired, and yet you still smile… So why?"

"You know why, Vin…" She grinned in the cheesiest way, blood on her teeth and everything. Cloud was very happy to see her smile, because that was a great reassurance.

"I went alone because I'm your friend, and I knew what you needed last night was some time-"

As Cloud tightly cleans and bandages the wounds on her arms, trying his best not to let his lack of expertise show, Vincent shifts violently and places his hands on the sides of her face in what can only be described as pleading. It didn't seems to hurt her at least, but she was bleeding onto his clawed hand. It was very surprising, seeing Vincent quiet distress turn so abruptly. Cloud wished there was some way he could simultaneously help Yuffie and mind his own business at the same time. What a shitty morning.

The man with the crimson eyes was so much bigger than her. That claw of his nearly blocked Cloud's whole view of her face, and his long hair seemed to stand a little on its own, he was so stressed. He was like an upset cat almost, even his profile seeming sharper, everything about his appearance was prickly with guilt.

"How can you say that this harm you've welcomed was for the better? How are you still smiling, when all my sins are catching up to me, and you're the one paying the price for it?"

His voice was cracking, and Cloud was very lost, and touched, and worried, but mostly concerned. He wondered if Vincent would cry, or if he even could, and hoped he didn't have to see it because it would break his heart. And he had so many questions. Not being able to interrupt, he just tended to Yuffie's wounds as best as he could. He knew she was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure if Vincent knew.

"Because I'm your friend, and I'm not gonna let you go without help. Work related or not, you're always gonna have someone to lean on if I'm alive. I'm the great ninja, Kisaragi, so you ought have a little more faith in me anyways!" Was that a joke? "And besides, you really wanted to see him last night, didn't you?" She was referring to Cloud? Her soft smile turned to a hard glare. It was kind of surprising. "Well, you got what you wanted, which was what I wanted, so you can pay me back for it later, got it? I'm not even that hurt."

Vincent stared at her for a long time, and all Yuffie did back was glare. Was she seriously getting annoyed? Her choice in wording made Cloud think otherwise, but he wasn't sure Vincent knew that. After a while, he lowered his hands and looked more ashamed than anything else.

"Forgive me, Yuffie. And thank you, Cloud."

"Ah...Yeah. Thanks, Cloud. I think I would've passed out if you hadn't been here; Vinny can barely use gauze without cutting it up with his claw, and I get woozy pretty easily."

"It's no trouble. We're friends, right? But, I think it's time you guys let me out of the dark."

He was not without sympathy, but this was simply ridiculous at this point. Honestly, holding himself back from asking at the start was probably not very smart, considering that he couldn't just walk away from either of them anymore if the answers were too harsh.

Still, he doubted he would've been able to leave these people alone, even if it happened to mean that he'd be in the same kind of danger as them. He was in too deep from the beginning. And, more than that, he felt that if he knew more, he could help in more ways than just tending wounds, though it was a brand new thought that he was using to justify being around these harm magnets.

"Well, what do you think, Vinny? I said I would leave it up to you."

"Yes, I suppose we did wait a bit too long this time, didn't we Yuffie? It is time to shed some light, but first, I have a question for you, Cloud."

"What's that?" He said cautiously.

"Can you honestly say that you will stay with Yuffie and I after I tell you our business?"

It probably would end up getting Cloud hurt like Yuffie was now, he realized this from the start. But these were his best friends. He'd fight with them, for them. And though it might be strange for someone like him to give his loyalty so freely, these were the people that meant the most to him right now. This was the direction his life was going in, and he wasn't gonna stop it.

"I swear it. I made a promise, remember?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! What did you think? I hate to leave you at a cliffhanger, but people need intensives to keep reading, am I right?**

**So, do you think I might've taken too long to get to this point? Do you think it might be too fluffy at this point in the story? Let me know. An honest review is better than no review.**

**Thanks again~**


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